ACTRESS DECRIES VERBAL ABUSE BY ABS-CBN DIRECTOR

A theater actress and a part-time television
talent shared on Facebook her grievances after allegedly experiencing verbal
abuse from a well-known film and television director. In her post, Rosellyn Domingo related the
emotional struggle she endured during her stint as a guest actor in the ABS-CBN
hit television series Forevermore, which was principally directed by Cathy
Garcia-Molina (One More Chance, A Second Chance, You Changed My Life, etc).
Apparently, it was not just her who suffered from the embarrassment and mental
anguish of being in the receiving end of Director Garcia-Molina’s allegedly
infamous shooting set temperament.
Domingo’s boyfriend, an academician/historian, who happened to be on the
said provincial set to accompany her, was conveniently asked to substitute –
but had to withstand just the same the common distress a bit player has to
weather in the naturally stressful environment of a filming production.

Here’s the letter Domingo publicly posted on her
wall, which as of press-time, has been shared by FB users since this morning:

Good day. I am Alvin D. Campomanes, a historian
and educator. I am a product of Paref Southridge School and the University of
the Philippines (UP), where I graduated cum laude in 2008. Currently, I am a
faculty member of the Department of History of the University of Asia and the
Pacific (UA&P) and the Department of General Education of Enderun Colleges.
I have taught history in Miriam College High School, Assumption College and San
Beda College Alabang. Among the young historians, I am one of those who are
often invited by leading networks for interviews during historical
commemorations. For ABS-CBN, I have granted interviews on Dateline Philippines
(ANC) and Umagang kay Ganda. I was also one of the resource persons in the
documentary Ninoy sa Puso ng Pinoy (2011).

I write this letter to protest the indignities
that I have suffered as a talent in a location shooting of Forevermore from
October 6-7, 2014.

My girlfriend, who has a background in theater,
was recruited for that television soap by a talent coordinator named John
Leonardo. I accompanied her to Baguio City. However, her talent manager, who
was supposed to be her partner, failed to arrive in the set. John, perhaps out
of desperation and fear that he will be reprimanded by his superiors for
failing in his responsibility, took me in as a substitute. He was fully aware
that I am an academic, that I had no previous acting experience. Although I was
very reluctant, I yielded to his request because he said that it will be
finished in a day; that I was only needed for two sequences. I made it clear to
him that I intend to return to my hotel room as soon as possible because I had
a lot of paperwork to finish. He agreed. My girlfriend and I played the roles
of “Celia” and “Makoy” respectively. John did not even bother to introduce us
to the directors.

On the first taping day, October 6, director Cathy
Garcia Molina led the prayer before we started our work. The prayerful director
said that the soap is meant to “entertain” and “teach values” to its viewers. I
recoil when I remember how her behavior toward bit players and those who work
behind the camera so brazenly contradicted her pious pronouncements. Her
hypocrisy was disconcerting to watch. She was servile to Luz Fernandez,
courteous to Joe Gruta, solicitous to Liza Soberano, and friendly to Joey
Marquez and Irma Adlawan. Liza committed a lot of mistakes in delivering simple
lines, but the director shielded her from criticism. She never uttered anything
that could embarrass the young actress. This sensitiveness to the feelings of
others however, was selective; it was only for stars and veteran actors.

The “Romantic Comedy Queen” instructs talents by
shouting, insulting, and spitting all sorts of curses. She is a character
straight out of the Noli. She is subservient to the wealthy and the powerful
like Capitan Tiago, despotic like Padre Damaso and despicably pretentious like
Padre Salvi and Doña Victorina. In a rehearsal take on the morning of the first
day, she shouted at my girlfriend three times: “Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! Ikaw!
Anong pangalan mo?!” There was a delay in her reaction because her character’s
name was Celia, not Sarah. But a queen like Cathy cannot admit her mistake. I
experienced the same treatment before sundown. My girlfriend and I both
remember that Cathy said “putang ina” to her once on that day.

Work resumed after dinner. It was already past ten
in the evening. I was already disoriented. I was thinking of all the
teaching-related tasks that I need to accomplish before I return to Manila the
next day. I found the director’s instructions vague and I misunderstood some of
them.

I was verbally abused.“Putang ina! Ang hirap
turuan!” “’Kinang ina!”“Pakshet ka, Makoy!”At that point, I remember Joey
Marquez spared me from further humiliation by coaching me on how to position my
body for that particular scene. I believe he was uncomfortable seeing me endure
all those hurtful remarks, aware as he was that his daughter Winwyn was my
student in San Beda. As a matter of prudence, I struggled to maintain my composure.
I did not want to engage a woman who is almost as old as my parents in a
shouting match. I am the better person. I was raised well by my parents. I was
formed well by my teachers. I am an educator. I had the moral ascendancy.

While we were inside the van on our way to the
hotel on the first night, I heard one of the young talents ask John if she can
leave the next day because she needed to attend an orientation for new Jollibee
employees. He refused. He so arrogantly told the young lady that he will just
“write an excuse letter saying she has a taping for ABS-CBN.” Who is this man
to prevent her from attending an orientation for a regular job? What authority
does he have to write an excuse letter for her? He is not her guardian! I also
remember one instance when I was repelled by the vulgarity of this man. I was
there beside him when he said this to a talent, a woman in her early 20s:
“Sinong jowa mo, yung tomboy? Bakit? Nagjojowa ka ng tomboy? Gusto mo ba yun,
pinepenggay ka? Pero naranasan mo na magpatusok ng titi sa lalaki?” The woman,
although violated, forced to smile. He said these nasty things in front of the
younger sisters of the woman, who were both teenagers.

We were told that we have to go back to finish a
sequence. That night, despite my exhaustion, I had difficulty sleeping because
of the questions that assailed my mind. The question that troubled me most was
this: had the production staff known that I am an academic, would they have
treated us with respect? But they did not have to know my background before
they respect us.

We barely had four hours of sleep but we woke up
very early. I asked myself if I can still continue in that kind of exploitative
environment. I steeled myself. I did not want to cause inconvenience to the
actors, who had been very good to us. Out of concern for the program, I decided
to stay to finish what I have started. But things did not get better on the
second day, October 7.

Before the taping started, the director huddled
with the main actors to give them instructions. Our talent coordinator reminded
us not to join them unless we are told to do so. He never allowed us to mingle
with them. Suddenly, I heard the director was looking for me so I raised my
hand. Obviously irked, she said: “Makoy! Nasan ka ba Makoy, san ka ba lagi
nagpupunta?! Artista kita, ‘di ba!” My girlfriend defended me by saying the
truth, that the talent coordinator always separated us from the main actors.
“Bakit niyo pinapahiwalay, eh mga artista ko ‘tong mga ‘to?” I found her
statement ridiculous because she rests and eats with the actors and she never
looked for us! We never joined the actors in their tent or their table.

In another scene, I stood where the assistant
director told me to stand. But I accidentally blocked a fellow actor. The
director screamed: “sapaw ka, Makoy, ano ba!” The assistant director quickly
recognized his mistake, admitted he was the one who placed me there. He
instructed me to move a bit to the left so I will not block the view of the
actor who was supposed to deliver a punchline. It should be emphasized, for the
sake of comparison, that this assistant director we knew as “Sir Barry” did
more work than Cathy, most of the time, under the scorching heat of the sun.
But he was always patient in teaching actors where to stand, how to react, what
to say. He always answered our questions. He never swore. He never degraded any
one of us.

The taping dragged on until the afternoon of the
second day. In the story, my character was leaving to seek better opportunities
abroad. We were shooting a parting scene. I was saying goodbye to my wife and
son and to the people of our village. As with the first day, I committed
mistakes in blocking. I was denigrated again by the director. I remember her
shouting the following: “Makoy! Nasaan ang camera mo!” “Tang ina!”and “Alam mo,
ikaw, inutil ka.” I saw how people in the production staff grinned and laughed
at me. The director did not tell them to stop. I was no star like Liza
Soberano. My girlfriend tried to coach me, but a woman named Ms. Jeng said
“Celia, nagbibigay ng instructions kay Makoy, wag kang makisali.” It was the
first time that I was shamed in front of people. I finished that scene despite
the mental and emotional anguish.

I kept on asking John if there are still sequences
to be shot on that day. I reminded him of our agreement. Instead of being
grateful that I stayed for another day, he told me this: “Ang kulit-kulit mo!
Galit na galit si direk sa ‘yo.” I answered him politely: “Alam mo namang hindi
ko linya ito, first time kong umarte sa telebisyon.” He immediately retorted
with a rudeness that I will remember for a long time: “Ay nako! kahit na!” We
approached Jeng to ask if I can leave because I have an early class the next
morning. This woman frowned and told us “dapat nag-usap muna kayong dalawa bago
kayo dumiretso sa ‘kin!” She turned her back and walked away. It was then that
I realized how much pain bit players got through when they negotiate the whims
of power dispensers in location shooting. The blatant contrast of how stars are
treated like royalty while bit players are abused to the hilt is enough to
enrage anyone.

Hours passed. It was already dark and I was still
in the set, waiting for an advice. I noticed that even those in the production
staff were unaware if we still have scenes for that day. Why? Because they were
working without a script! I was very tensed because of the uncertainties. We
were told to return to the hotel. Had I been informed earlier, I would have
left in the afternoon. But John was nowhere to be found. I felt betrayed.

When we arrived at the hotel, I received a call
from him: “Ay, ano nga uling pangalan mo? Alvin! May isang sequence pa raw na
ishu-shoot sa umaga, pwede bang umabsent ka na lang sa trabaho mo?” I was
shaking with anger. I told him that I have already given him two days when what
we agreed on was only one day. He even had the temerity and the gall to ask me
to be absent in my class and pay the amount that I will lose from my absence! I
was incensed by this man’s callousness. I am a conscientious teacher and no
amount of money can blind me. He met his match because I am a talent that
cannot be bought. Perhaps it was the first time that he encountered talents
that cannot be fooled by promises of fame and money. We decided to leave Baguio
that night. My girlfriend also dropped her role. I still attended my class in
the morning.

In the ABS-CBN website, we can read the core
values that the company holds sacred: meritocracy, excellence, teamwork,
teaching and learning, honesty, integrity and respect, and service orientation.
Under honesty, integrity and respect, it is stated that ABS-CBN employees
“possess an unshakeable belief in one’s self-worth and dignity”; that “they
never undermine others for their own gain”; that “they consistently treat others
respectfully and fairly”. This makes me cringe because I have met people who
had made a mockery of these core values.

When I related to my friends who work for news
programs of ABS-CBN what I had experienced, they all replied that “it is just
the way things are”. They all say that it is the “culture” in the local
television and film industry. One of my friends even told me that maybe it was
just a case of culture shock because in the academe, people conduct themselves
very politely.

But this is not the culture that ABS-CBN is so
proud about. Consider this passage in the network’s website:

For us in ABS-CBN, our core values serve as our
anchor and guidepost. They keep us grounded and remind us of the things that
matter more than ratings, revenues, and profits. They guide us in our
decision-making and direct our choices and actions.

Our core values, with clearly articulated
behavioral indicators, define what the ABS-CBN culture is and what kind of
people would thrive in our organization.”(emphasis mine)

Following Weber, eminent anthropologist Clifford
Geertz (1973, 5) defined culture as the “webs of significance that man himself
has spun”. Culture is man-made. It is not fixed. It is not constant. It can be
changed. If we are aware that in this prevailing system nameless and voiceless
people are being oppressed, then we as moral individuals are obliged to correct
this system! If it is possible for power wielders to respect the rich and the
famous, why is it so hard to do this for the lowly and the marginalized? These
bit role players are also the ones who patronize the television soaps and
movies that the big networks are producing.

We are so used to television networks exposing
corruption in government. But there is also much to be exposed in the rotten
system of talent recruitment for television and film. For example, do networks
really know how much are the talents being paid for long hours of work? In a
system devoid of transparency, bit players cannot even know how many middle men
are taking cuts from their pittance.

Let this outcry be a challenge to the integrity of
ABS-CBN. I am calling on the network to prove to all of us that your core
values are more important than “ratings, revenues, and profits.” I demand
disciplinary action on Cathy Garcia Molina, Jeng and John Leonardo. If justice
will not be served, if this plea will not be heeded, then it only means that
your company condones the uncivil behavior of your people because they bring in
“ratings, revenues and profits”. In her opening prayer, Cathy claimed that it
was impossible for her not to get mad and offend people. However, she also said
that she is confident that at the end of the day, everything will be okay,
because we are a family. Is this how you treat a kapamilya? We never
experienced verbal abuse in our homes! I also demand an apology from the little
gods that have offended me.

I am aware that through this complaint, I am
articulating the silent rage of all the extras and behind-the-camera workers
who had been abused and dehumanized. I know I am not alone in this battle. For
my part, I have resolved to act and set an example. If I fail, at least, it is
not for lack of trying. While we were on our way to Manila, I could still hear
the voice of Cathy Garcia Molina inside my ears, mocking me, berating me. I
want you to know that up to this day, I am still being haunted by the thought
that I was not able to defend myself. The emotional and mental torture is
terrific.

I do not ask for mercy. I demand justice.

“The only thing required for evil to triumph is
for good men to do nothing.”